On Oct. 11, LWVNC President Jennifer McMillan Rubin joined U.S. House Rep. Wiley Nickel for “Fair Maps for North Carolina,” a virtual discussion about voting rights, partisan gerrymandering, and his bill, the FAIR MAPS Act.
The event included Common Cause, Equality NC, End Citizens United, Communications Workers of America, NC NAACP, and more!
Jennifer’s comments:
Thank you, Representative Nickel, for the opportunity for the League of Women Voters of North Carolina to participate and for your efforts to address gerrymandering through your proposed legislation.
Partisan and racial gerrymandering distorts and undermines representative democracy by allowing officials to select their voters rather than voters to select their officials. When done for purposes of racial discrimination or to ensure the dominance of one political party, gerrymandering runs counter to the principle of equal voting rights for all.
State Leagues have been seeking redistricting reforms in states across the country. Here in North Carolina, the League’s own case – LWVNC vs. Rucho - was found to be an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander by the lower courts. The Supreme Court heard the case in 2019, when the court declined to rein in partisan gerrymanders.
Putting decisions around voting district lines into the hands of a bi-partisan group of citizens using a transparent process is a better way for those rulings to be made. Using a multi-partisan board to determine districts will allow for a higher level of trust from the public and would eliminate the challenge for office holders to disregard their own self-interest when making decisions that directly affect whether they keep their jobs.
Representative Nickel’s bill would drive federal legislation, but it is also important at the state level to advocate for fair maps and an end to gerrymandering. We hope legislation will be re-introduced in future N.C. General Assembly sessions that we can all support. And, in the meantime, we must keep the issue of fair maps high on the priority list for legislators at both the federal and state levels. We will continue to advocate for a citizens’ commission that would, in a multi-partisan way, help establish fair maps that reflect the true will of our citizens.
Today is the last day for North Carolinians to register to vote in the upcoming election. It is incredibly important that our citizens vote on every issue and in every race. We are all united in our desire for every voter’s voice to be heard.
Thank you for the opportunity to share our views, Representative Nickel.
